already animated things

[theedwin]

Hi All!

As you know, I am cheap and I shop thrift stores on my way to work or on my way home. Whichever is more convenient. Beings there are no holidays coming up, and no movies that I can promote easily, I have been still buying the flowers, penguins and whatever suits my fancy at the moment, but I have been looking for the animated "things" that are out there! (I like animated!)

Batteries aren't a problem since I live across the street from both a Dollar Tree and a 99cents ONLY store....

SO, here are a few of the things that I have bought lately that are animated!

Here is a video of a shark (that I took apart because he was really ugly and really didn't do anything but play music and pretend to MAW on something!) sorry, no pic of the "Shark"....

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00031.jpg

I am sure I could use that for some sort of, ummmmm, ummm, Well... A tongue comes to mind!

Here is another toy I bought today, this one is a bit more of a "prop" but I do love the "music" that they included with these things way back when!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00023.jpg

There is more to come, much more but I don't want to clog one post with this so I will clog several posts with it.

E

[theedwin]

Douglas Fir anyone?

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00029.jpg

This is a really crappy Dougie! He only sings one song, and he doesn't even say "HI" What kind of crap is that? He (Dougie) does posess a working input, so he was well worth the money!

Oh, and by the way, that is my liquid "inspiration/imagination" on the right side of the video.

Also, if you want to "Imbed" a video, do not hit "Quick repy" just hit "reply" That way you will get to have the video right there instead of having to open a new page... etc etc etc.. Just figured that out!

[theedwin]

More you say? More I give!

A Lion, because Lions are cool!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00027.jpg

Oh, you like silly penguins?

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00028.jpg

[theedwin]

I also have some fish!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00024.jpg

And a Naked Fish!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00025.jpg

Here is a 12 channel light display I picked up recently. Catchy tune!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00026.jpg

[theedwin]

Last one today, I promise!

Santa next to Homer Simpson's right leg.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_Apr222009-VID00030.jpg

All of this for ONLY $20!

E

[Sickie Ickie]

Awesome score!

I've used the lever similer to your shark's that I've gotten from the animated horse heads on sticks that kids ride. I disconnected the speaker, used a foam skull w/movable jaw, cut away enough of the underskull that the motor sits in well, use the lever for a tongue- attached a wire from under the tongue to the back of the "chin." HG corpsed it, then ran the button under a silver dish. Essentially a head on a silver dish.

I made it for Blinky so during Halloween she could offer candy from the dish, then press the button and the jaw would open and close repeatedly. A nice little prop for under $20.

[Just Whisper]

Those are great Edwin. I am a little confused why a lion is singing christmas songs? But they are all very nice with great potential. I never see nice stuff like that in any of our thrift stores. Ours are really trashy.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

That's a pretty good score, Edwin!! I guess the thrift stores in Vegas are better than ours.
Maybe the shark mechanism could be used for Halloween in a "Licking Zombie" or "French Kissing Zombie". :)
The Dougie would probably sing better if he hadn't drank that whole Miller Genuine Draft!
The lion is cool, I like his head movements. The penguin is cute, too.
I never really like those singing fish much. However, I like the bony one (but not his song-bleah!):mad:
The lighted house is neat, too. You should cut a sihlouette of Santa or the Grinch out of black paper and mount it on the inside of the front window.
Great finds! Good luck hacking them!

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Those are great Edwin. I am a little confused why a lion is singing christmas songs?

Maybe it's the lion from "Rudolph". You know, the King of the Island of Misfit Toys. What's his name, King Moonracer or something.

[theedwin]

Thanks all,

I wanted to take video before I hacked them, and figured you might get a kick out of them. Don't know what I am going to do with them yet, but I will come up with something. Oh, and the house, I was going to have a silhouette of a hanging corpse or something... LOL

[DanoNJ]

Edwin, I read somewhere (no idea where since I read, like 100 sites) that the Doggie tree can be hacked with good success! Since I read that, I've been on the lookout for one. Now if I find one, I wont know what to do with it! :)

I've also been looking for one of those tree stands that rotate. Can't find that either!

[theedwin]

Dano,

I have seen a few dougie hacks. I have been buying them for a while and have a pretty good collection of them. The ones that work well I keep as dougies, the others I am starting to hack. Some of the older ones have an input to make dougie sing or say what you want.

Here is a link to a rotating tree stand. It doesn't go all the way around, but about 350 degrees, then spins back. You have to wonder how good it is for $9.95....

http://www.ltdcommodities.com/home/catalog/cat_item_pg3.asp?G=663&P=147&Rec=10&N=37+723&Nao=0&R=453198-4X2J---1

Pretty cool site Sickie posted a while back for a "color organ"

[Sickie Ickie]

Here's some dougie hacks. Should transfer nicely to Christmas props...

http://hauntproject.com/projdetail.asp?category=Search&s=dougie

http://www.deviousconcoctions.com/talkingtomb.htm

[theedwin]

This last Christmas I used a couple of Dougies (Douglas and Connie Fir) that I found at a thrift store. They are a "couple" and one sings 2 songs, the other sings 3 songs. The kids loved running up to the snowman and then the trees would start singing! (Video)

YouTube - Snowman Lobby display

I had a lady stalking me to try to buy them from me, I said NO several times....

After Christmas, I found out that Gemmy had made a new smaller version, but I could only find them at Family Dollar. Thank God it was AFTER Christmas that I found them! ($6 each at 50% off) I bought as many as I could! (about 17 of them)

This year, and I have worked on this project a little bit, I plan on hacking several of the new dougies to be a "Christmas Tree choir". Several little dougies will be run by one of the older dougies. When activated, 8 or so little trees will start singing a song! It should look pretty cool! Lots of work to go on THAT project....

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I ordered a couple of these tree faces a while back and I'm working on hacking them now:

http://www.thingsyouneverknew.com/product/thingsforchristmas/onsale/animated+tree+face.do?WT.svl=81896

The mic input does work for an MP3 or CD input, but when I installed a capacitor the microphone didn't work, even though the MP3 played fine. I did put in a potentiometer for mouth adjustment and that seems to be working good.
I'll check out the links Sickie posted.

[Sickie Ickie]

I'd be interested in following your progress enlightenedgrinch

[theedwin]

Thanks for the link to that Enlightened. I had that link on my old computer but could not find it to put on my new computer.

I had seriously considered buying a couple of those, especially since they will be 1) NEW! 2) have the mic input and 3) Umm, can't remeber.

How do you like them? Yay? Nay?

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Overall I'd say I like them. Just be warned--they seem new , but I think they've been sitting in a warehouse too long. I ordered two. One worked fine, the other did not want to open his eyes. I had to sort of hand rotate the gears in the mechanism that opens the eyes a bit to make it work. Now that I've been working with it for a while it's working fine. It has two motors--one for the eyes and one for the mouth. The microphone works good and it has a push-to-talk button.
I'll tell you the voice is very irritating. The speaker is really LOUD and it sings really crummy songs and some lame jokes. All the better reason the hack it. If you can wait a while the site does put them on sale for around $13.00. That's when I bought mine.
Here's the best joke it tells:
Q: What do you call it when your Christmas Tree explodes?

A: A Tannen-Bomb !! :)

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I'd be interested in following your progress enlightenedgrinch

Sure, Sickie. It's a work in progress, but I'll keep you posted.

[theedwin]

for a simple $3, I bought this thing:

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00051.jpg

My Grandmother Schwing who came from Germany back in 1923 and moved to Minnesota loved the Christmas Tree song. (oh Tannenbaum) Well, I don't know if she would have liked this version or not... LOL

Oh, there are worse jokes that he/she tells! but the same song is sung.

I think this particular animation is part Christmas tree, and part Grimace on CRACK!!!!!! (let me know if you got the Grimace joke!) LOL

Here is a video of an animated stuffed animal (it was a penguin) that I put a Winnie the Pooh puppet on....

I ripped the Penguin off it (I wish I wouldn't have, but I did) and I bought a "Pooh" puppet today. As I was waiting at the stop light at the corner of the MGM Grand, the NY NY Hotel and Casino, the Tropicana and the Excalibur, I thought, "Hmmm Edwin, maybe this little Pooh puppet will fit on that old Penguin thing you ripped him out of. Hmmm...

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00053.jpg

It wasn't an easy fit, but it did work after some coaxing! And I was wondering what I was going to do with all of the naked toy animatronics!!! PUPPETS!!!! That's all they are anyways!!!!! MMMM... NICE!

[Sickie Ickie]

Are you going to corpse the dog? LOL

Pooh looks good like that. I LOVE the Christmas tree!!! Put a motion sensor on that thang and ya ain't gotta do a t'ang!

[EnlightenedGrinch]

That Dancing Christmas Tree is scary! Looks like "Cousin IT" doing a hula dance with the voice of "Wow-Wow Wubzy"!! (If you've got kids you'll know what I mean.)
I got the Grimace joke, Edwin!
Just make sure you don't die in your sleep one night, Edwin. When the cops come in and see all those naked and disemboweled animated creatures all over the place you're not going to like what they write in your obituary.:chappy:
Cool finds, though!!

[Just Whisper]

I think you should put a couple of bumble bees on stiff wires, attach them to the penguins foot peddle thingy so they are about hand high on Pooh, and he can be swatting bees. LOL

If you ever decide you no longer want that dog I will gladly take him off your hands. For a reasonable price of course. Errrr, did I mention my birthday is next month?blush:

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Anyone know of a good use or hack for these "Wow-Wee Alive Bear Cub" toys?
I was in a BJ's Warehouse store and they were on sale for $25.00.
Is that a good price?

[Sickie Ickie]

the only hacks I've seen for the wow wee stuff have been expensive. (Ie. remote control via wii remote) But I'm thinking you could hack into each button and put it on a timer. ? Do you have a pic of it?

[Just Whisper]

Anyone know of a good use or hack for these "Wow-Wee Alive Bear Cub" toys?
I was in a BJ's Warehouse store and they were on sale for $25.00.
Is that a good price?

yes,a pic is good please.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

They look like this one. Various different bears--can't remember if the Panda was available or not:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-Wowwee-Panda-Bear-Cub-Robotic-Interactive-Toy_W0QQitemZ220330370684QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item334cb6a67c&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

[theedwin]

Actually, the dog was a cat. It meows and purrs. What is nice about it is you can move the front legs so that they go forward and back or up and down. I will have to take a video of it for yas. Oh, I did plan on corpsing it tho!

I really like the bumble bees idea JW, I was wondering what I was going to do with the foot thing.

When I skin the animals, I usually keep them in my "Thinking/Stinking" room for a few days to get ideas. LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Sit down in our thinking chair and think...
think... thi-i-ink!
Cause when we use our minds and take a step at a time,
We can do any THING... that we wanna do!

[theedwin]

Well,

Halloween stuff! Be warned!!!

I bought this today for a dollar! (go ahead Putrid, get jealous!) LOL

With new batteries, it is quite entertaining. A pumpkin with arms, and a witch hat.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/stuff/th_VID00055.jpg

oh, excuse me, I just got back from puking because the thing just got me going..... WOW!

I have to ask, why don't the people who design these things (above aforementioned and others) post on here? Geniuses all of them! LOL

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. This one is going in the "keep" file!

E

[theedwin]

Sit down in our thinking chair and think...
think... thi-i-ink!
Cause when we use our minds and take a step at a time,
We can do any THING... that we wanna do!

I meant the bathroom Sickie!

I am sure you meant something else. LOL

[DanoNJ]

That pumpkin it pretty neat. While watching it I started wondering how it works!! I need a life....

[Sickie Ickie]

Isn't prop making your life? :p

I'd have to hack it and use it for something else. The mouth isn't bad if it were to say more scary things, but the spinning is too spinny. LOL

[theedwin]

Sickie,

I bought it for a dollar, there is a sticker on the bottom that says "Voiced by Susan Boyle" LOL J/K

Yep, still in the "keep" file! No hacking going on with this particular prop, but I will be back soon with my camera to take videos of my latest finds!!!!!

E

[theedwin]

I must say, I really do find some neat things when I go shopping.

I was going to go to Wal-crap today, because I need toilet paper and such... BUT, I Didn't, because it would have been too much for me to carry in 1 trip from my truck. The SCORES I got today were awesome! I can't wait for tomorrow!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00072.jpg

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00068.jpg

I hope you enjoyed that enlightened!

[theedwin]

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00070.jpg

Too bad it is AFTER Easter...

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I did enjoy that, thanks!! But then again, I like rug burns too.
How do they make those things with so many movements? If only we could hack the sound on them....
Are those from the thrift store? Great finds!!

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL How cute are those?! You sure find some nice things at yours, Edwin.

[Nephew Fred]

Tannen-Bombs???????
hahahahahaahahahaha
I want a bony fish too......
Always wondered if there was a way to hack it and change the mounting board to a frying pan.
Hey, Skellie's gotta eat too.

[Sickie Ickie]

just cut the wires, splice them and replace the screws with bolts or epoxy. :)

idea: A simpler way is to just cut around the tiny portion that it is connect to and insert that through the bottom of the pan.

[Just Whisper]

I was going to go to Wal-crap today, because I need toilet paper and such... BUT, I Didn't, because it would have been too much for me to carry in 1 trip from my truck. The SCORES I got today were awesome! I can't wait for tomorrow!

Damn edwin, how much toilet paper do you use/need that you can't carry it in one trip? LMAO

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Edwin must need a SHIP-load!!:chappy:

[theedwin]

Nah, Normally I stock up on the toiletries about twice a year. I'll get 10 toothpastes, 10 deodorants, toilet paper, paper towels etc etc.

I found some more neat animated animals, I don't know what I am going to do with all of them, but for a buck or 2 each I can't pass em up. I think I will make a bunch of smaller displays on the floor of the lobby in addition to the catwalk display this year.

I have had a few troubles with some that I bought lately, so I take out my Xacto knife and start opening them up. I have been able to fix most of them so far (except 1). Mostly bad sensors or the gears got un-geared. Then I put em back together. I took "Pooh swatting bees" off that one and put the abominable snowman from Rudolph on it. Still some kinks to work out there....

I will have to post some more videos of some of my recent finds.

[theedwin]

LONG VIDEO!!! (there you go Putrid! Test out that HIGH SPEED!)

YouTube - not even a mouse

I need to glue the little bears onto the big bear's legs, I just took the video to take it.

The bear on the right also tells the same story, but it is no where near the quality of the bear in the video. (a secondary bear, maybe for a secondary display....)

Oh, and this one eats batteries!!! I better learn how to hard wire a wal-wart to it, and fast!

I hope you guys don't think that with all of these already animated things that I am not going to animate my own things. I can't pass 'em up for a buck tho!

[Just Whisper]

The voice on the recording is good quality, but just doesn't seem to fit the bear. Nice looking bears. I agree, a well spent dollar.

[Sickie Ickie]

I find the occasional one, but yu live in a nice place to find these all the time! :)

[theedwin]

Sickie,

Normally I shop at the "Mormon" thrift store, so I think that may have something to do with it.... (Give to the church...) The "Catholic" thrift stores only have stuff that even I would throw away!

Also, with the economy being so poor out here, and people moving away in droves lately, I have to wonder if this will be a short lived "buffet of great stuff" before the economy improves.

I scored big time today tho! Will share those later.

E

[Sickie Ickie]

I hear ya. On a side note, I found out something interesting with Uhaul. In Vegas I guess hardly anybody right now is using trucks to move in there, so rates are extremely cheap...

However, coming OUT of Vegas, the prices for the Uhaul trucks are around 3 times regular price because everyone wants to use trucks to move OUT.

Ain't big biz ethics grand? *bird salute*

[theedwin]

SI

I have seen news stories about this. In fact, when I moved here, they gave me a coupon (which has expired) that if I wanted to use a U-Haul, I would get 50% off! For a time, so many U-Haul trucks were coming here that they had a glut of trucks here! (and needed people to take them somewhere else!) But now that you mention it, I rarely see any U-Haul trucks on the road.

More videos to come! I couldn't get my camera to work right tonight - err, I mean "I" couldn't get my camera to work. Instead of taking video of what I wanted to take, I ended up taking video of the floor, the wall, and putting the next thing up that I wanted to take video of.... Then I gave up. LOL

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Just goes to show you should NEVER drink and videotape!:chappy:

[Sickie Ickie]

Videotape, THEN drink. Got to get it in the right order. :p

[theedwin]

<burp> OH, That's how that is supposed to work! LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

Otherwise you drink too much and see animated things ALL over the place! LOL

[theedwin]

I already see animated things all over the place! Even without drinking!

I bought my first "double". Meaning, I now have 2 of the same already animated thing. The second one didn't work because I think someone stepped on it or drove over it. Anyway, the "second" that I bought was one of my favorites, so I got to take it apart and see what was wrong with it, and how it worked. Believe it or not, I was able to "mostly" fix it. It works again but sticks once in a while so I have a bit more tinkering to do with it. It is currently in the "thinking/stinking" room so I will be spending a few minutes each day working on it. (in between the "paperwork" of course) LOL

I am running out of room here at the tiny apartment that I live in, so I am going to have to take a trip to the storage unit with the "keepers". I hate to do it, take my friends to storage, but if I am going to keep this up I have to. I still have to take those videos of them and pictures.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I am running out of room here at the tiny apartment that I live in, so I am going to have to take a trip to the storage unit with the "keepers". I hate to do it, take my friends to storage, but if I am going to keep this up I have to. I still have to take those videos of them and pictures.

I think Jeffrey Dahmer said the very same thing........:eek:

[theedwin]

It does sound like something he would say... ROFL!

You guys are a crack up tonight!

[theedwin]

Here is a little chicken that sings "rain drops" but he seems to be puddle jumping a bit more than anything else. Oh, and he likes the camera!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00148.jpg

This is working! YAY!

Here is a penguin who also likes the camera, and likes to walk around!

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00152.flv

A talking brain anyone?

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00130.flv

More to come!

[theedwin]

MORE MORE MORE!

I hope you are watching these instead of reading "HOW" to watch these Putrid! LOL

Here is a simple one, Rub a Dub Dub!

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00128.flv

The background music is my computer playing a CD called "Shuffle off to Buffalo" on the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ at the "Shea's Buffalo" in Buffalo NY. I lived there for a year believe it or not, and I like Pipe organs, believe it or not!

Anyways...

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00122.flv

consider yourself loved!

On a side note, I was wondering last night if these things could run continuously for hours upon hours on end. I figured they would get really hot and eventually turn off. I took a random one apart and directly hooked it up to a wall wart and it ran fine! HMMM!!!!!!

NEXT!

Speaking of RAIN DROPS!

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00146.flv

Has anyone noticed the BIG bowls of batteries I have? Sure comes in handy!

oop, that's 3, time for another post!

[theedwin]

I have been waiting all day for this! Well, not this particularly, but to post these videos!

Wow, the liquid inspiration is kicking in! LOL

Another Rainy day!

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00144.flv

I really like this one for some reason. How come they never have cats doing these things? Are cats too smart? LOL I also like how he keeps moving after the song is over.....

Some LOVE for those that can appreciate it!

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00142.flv

You know I am saving the BEST for last! LOL

[theedwin]

Well, I guess with this post, I will be ending tonight's fun.

Here are my 2 favorites as far as "hiding the bodies" goes!

The first one is really creepy, but interactive so I had to yell at the damn, err I mean darn thing! CRIPES!!! ROFL!!!!

#2 is:

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00132.flv

It sings several different songs including "B-I-N-G-O, The Wheels on the Bus, There is another one, but I forget it now, and this one!)

And the best one, and my favorite is.....

Some Crazy Alien! (turn down the volume!)

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00126.flv

Did you notice the $1.00 price tag at the beginning??????

Guys, I can't pass these up, and honestly I look FOR them! LOL I am wondering if I would create backdrops for each of these, and have an area to put them in in a high traffic area, (redundant question, I know) but would you or would you let your kid put a couple of quarters in to see it, or any other, sing and dance? Just thinking about making a few extra bux at work!!!! Maybe? Maybe not?

Well, that's all I have for now, but stay tuned! We may be right back!

[Just Whisper]

I think Jeffrey Dahmer said the very same thing........:eek:

ROFLMAO That is tooooo funny.

Edwin,

I LOVE STITCH!!! And I agree, that one is my favorite also. But my second favorite is the duck in the egg or nest?? followed by the dog with the floppy ears. Yeah, that bear is creepy to the max. Those are great, thanks for sharing.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Those are cool, Edwin!! I'd love to tear them open and see how they work.
Why don't you try having the Duck (or chicken) perform a duet with the dog for "Singin' in the Rain"? Just try to keep him from humping the dog like he was doing to the camera! :confused:
That brain is wierd. That must be the brain from the "this is your brain......this is your brain on drugs..." commercial. It's the brain on drugs, obviously!! :rolleyes:
That teddy bear must be Mr. Rogers re-incarnated!! And hard of hearing, too!

[putrid]

LOL Yes I got to watch all the vids Theedwin. LOL I'd say my favorite is the dog that's 'singing in the rain'. It looks like it's nose is pressed up against an imaginary piece of glass as it sings. The jaw and top of the head moves. Nose stays perfectly still. Your right, the bear is creepy.

[Sickie Ickie]

You had me rolling on the floor with your antics and the bear, Edwin! LMAOPIMPROTFL!!!

That bear is definitely psychotic!

I wuv the widdle ducky. :D

[theedwin]

I did have alot of fun taking the videos, and well, I WAS COMPLETELY SOBER when taking them! (believe it or not) LOL

Thanks for watching, I do hope that you enjoyed them. (some are better than others...)

I have lots more that I didn't post on here, but I did take video of them. They are on my photobucket if anyone is interested in seeing the rest of them. http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/

Glad I was able to entertain you guys for at least a few moments of your pathetic miserable lives! LOL!!!!! JK

You know, if THIS is my LIFE, I don't want another! I am fine with the fun that I have.

[Sickie Ickie]

Amen, bro!

[theedwin]

Thanks Sickie!

E

[Just Whisper]

Me Too. I love it here.

[Sickie Ickie]

I love you guys!!! cry:

[theedwin]

I was poking around Haunt Forum tonight (for I think the 3rd or 4th time) and ran across a thread by JW about hacking battery operated toys. She didn't want any "Maybes or guesses" so I will post what I know about it here. (hope she reads it)

To quote JW's question, "I have a battery operated dog that walks and barks, etc. But this question could probably apply to any battery operated toy. Can I wire this to an extension cord to make it run continuously? If so how do I do it so it doesn't burn out, run too fast, etc?"

I took apart an animal that didn't work. It was one of those little hamster ones. I couldn't get the switch to work so I just wired it directly to one of those adjustable wall warts. Here is a video of it.

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00159.flv

It had 3 AA batteries in it, so that means that it is meant to run on 4.5 volts. In the video I started it at 4.5 volts then put it down to 3 volts. I also put it on 6 volts just for fun.

I have run this little guy for probably 5 or 6 hours straight at 4.5 volts and it never got warm (hot) or made any weird noises. I don't think it would be a problem for any of these things to run continuously, or for any extended period of time.

[Sickie Ickie]

The only thing I would add is if you are running the current through any electronics instead of straight to the motor, be careful not to exceed the original voltage as that could fry the board.

[Just Whisper]

I was poking around Haunt Forum tonight (for I think the 3rd or 4th time) and ran across a thread by JW about hacking battery operated toys. She didn't want any "Maybes or guesses" so I will post what I know about it here. (hope she reads it)


I did, I did read it. Thanks edwin. Okay, so did you hook the power cord directly to the toy? Guess I should watch the video a few more times. Where did you get a walwart with adjustable voltage? cool. Guess I don't get out enough. I'll take my dog apart and then ask more questions.

[theedwin]

JW, Yep, right to the motor. You can get the adjustable wall warts at Radio shak.

[Sickie Ickie]

The other option is to do it with the wires that come from the battery box.

[theedwin]

I was tinkering with a crappy AAT (Already Animated Thing) today while sitting in my "thinking/stinking" room and the "push here" button didn't work. I cut the wires (I have lots of tools in that particular room for some reason) and touched them together and the thing worked. I knew it would because the "push here" button does just that. So, I got the idea of getting a quarter (I had one of those in that room too for some reason....) and I put the quarter down and placed both wires on it. Sure enough, the little AAT started doing it's "THANG".

I don't think I am too far off from charging a quarter for people to see these things! :D

[theedwin]

Deb from the company that provides us with video games for our Arcade came in today. (well she does every Wednesday, that is her collection day) I like her, she is really cool! I even let her smoke while she counts the money (hey, it's Vegas!!!) Anyway, I have been talking to her over the last few weeks about my idea of creating a display(s) that a kid can put a quarter in and then watch the AAT (Already Animated Thing). She liked the idea (she loves all my ideas...) but she isn't very smart about how the machines work... While she was here today, I asked her if I could look at one of the coin mechanisms to see how it works (I have been looking at them online and on ebay) She of course said I could and even let me put a few quarters through to see how it works. I learned alot today about this!!! I asked her if she had any "extra" ones and she said they had loads and loads of them. I offered to buy one from her (coin mechanism) and she said she would bring one by for me for free!

These things are very very simple. You put the quarter in, and it goes through a "slide" and if it isn't a quarter, it gets pushed out. If it is a quarter it hits a switch (exactly what I need) and triggers the machine.

I am really excited about this! I could even promote it as "all profits go to Charity!" (Did I mention my, ummmmm, pet spider is named "Charity"?) LOL I am kidding, actually, my wallet is named "Charity"! LOL (yes I am evil!)

[Just Whisper]

Sweet. Sounds like a really fun idea. Keep us posted.

[Sickie Ickie]

I'd be interested as well. :)

[EnlightenedGrinch]

That gives me a great idea, Edwin! You get it working and then I'll convert all of my Halloween yard props to operate with quarters. Or maybe even the gold dollar coins!
You know how it goes--get 'em hooked, then make 'em start paying! :)

[Just Whisper]

That gives me a great idea, Edwin! You get it working and then I'll convert all of my Halloween yard props to operate with quarters. Or maybe even the gold dollar coins!
You know how it goes--get 'em hooked, then make 'em start paying! :)

LMAO. Good idea Grinch. Cuz I haven't figured a way to make that whole donation box thing work. LOL

[theedwin]

That gives me a great idea, Edwin! You get it working and then I'll convert all of my Halloween yard props to operate with quarters. Or maybe even the gold dollar coins!
You know how it goes--get 'em hooked, then make 'em start paying! :)

When they start putting pictures of "good looking" presidents on them thar Dollar coins, I just may!

Did I mention that I was buying the Sakajeweia $1 coins for a long long time? I kept them in a little "treasure chest" that I had. One day, I needed to get a new car, (well not NEW) so I took over 700 dollar coins (I had been saving for a while) and bought myself a "NEW" car!

Heck, the parents out here get their kid a movie ticket and give em a few bucks to play arcade games just so they have a cheap "Baby sitter" for a few hours while they go down to the casino and gamble their pay check away! I see it all the time! Parents leave their kids (little kids 5 or 6 and often times younger) so that they can play BINGO or Video Poker. Very sad! I feel bad for these kids when we find them all alone and they say that Mom or Dad is down in the casino.. Security tries to find the parents, but often times we end up calling the Police because the parent left their kid alone!

[theedwin]

Back to the subject.....

Hit a bunch of thrift stores today, and got another pretty good haul. I think they see me coming now because the darn prices have gone up! :mad:

I haven't found any "really good" ones lately, just your usual swing back and forth or up and down. I also have a bunch that I need to fix, or just wire directly to a wall wart. I have begun writing on the back of some of the "innards" as to what they do and what song they sing and how they are actuated.

So I ripped a bunch of them apart tonight. I have skeletal remains of AAT's all over the place! I have inserted a few of the skeletal remains into a few penguins now and they are working and looking pretty good! (one of them even sings "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer!") I will have to post a video of that since I know all of you LOVE that song! LOL

Penguins are hard to make do anything, especially stuffed penguins. They don't have any hands, and the arms are always so slim.

I was thinking the other night as I was drinking my liquid inspiration... Would Light o' Rama or another light controller work for making a "scene" (similar to a ride through "It's a small world" without THAT soundtrack....)

As far as I know, Light O Rama is run by the computer program. It basically tells things to turn on or turn off. If I were to (and I am thinking out loud right now) purchase a 16 channel, or whetever, and hook all of these up to wall warts so that they could run continuously, could I create a scene that is animated AND tells a story?

Any help Sickie or Dano? Or anyone else who knows about this stuff? I think it might, but those things are expensive, and if it won't work I would rather NOT spend the money....

Geez, am I thinking out loud again?

Videos to follow since I am really bored!!!

[theedwin]

WOW! 3 posts in a row Edwin! (I must be pathetic to post on my own post so often..) :( At least I'm not a NERD! LOL

ANYWHO!!!!

I was bored as I said before, so I took videos!

These all were former skeletons of AATs, now they have new homes, or new bodies! :D

This first one WAS a cat, that didn't have any sound when I bought it. All it did was sway back and forth and the mouth moved. Penguins don't seem to have mouths, and I still have to add padding to this one so it doesn't look so skinny.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00180.jpg

The second one is better. It sings everyone's favorite song! It used to be a Reindeer! LOL

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00182.jpg

I like the above penguin alot. It was the first one that I did. Sentimental maybe... I will have to add weight to the bottom so that it doesn't fall over like it does in the video....

This one is almost my favorite. It never made it to the "Thinking/Stinking room, but I sure do like it! It used to be a frog that held a heart that said "Luv Ya". This one the arms of the penguin actually move.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00184.jpg

I am going to have to do a bit of sewing on this one, the arms almost fell off when I was adding the penguin....

And finally (although there will be a bonus at the end) here is the last penguin that I gave new life to! This one used to be a bunny, and originally had ears that went up and down. The ears were broke off when I bought it, but I do like the body movement. If you notice, it is an exact replica of the penguin in the 2nd video, except it is a bit smaller.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00186.jpg

Maybe you noticed in the background of all of these videos that there was a "lil guy" wearing purple! When I bought him, I knew he was broken, but I took the TURTLE apart and was able to fix it. Now he needs new skin. Hmm, I am thinking maybe some sort of Penguin! LOL

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00188.jpg

He has alot of animation and alot of movement. This one will be fun!

[Just Whisper]

WOW! 3 posts in a row Edwin! (I must be pathetic to post on my own post so often..) In hockey we call that a hat trick...LOL

I love the videos edwin but I still have no sound. so sad. I am thinking you should turn the purple guy into a musical conductor to lead your band of singing penguis.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Heck, the parents out here get their kid a movie ticket and give em a few bucks to play arcade games just so they have a cheap "Baby sitter" for a few hours while they go down to the casino and gamble their pay check away! I see it all the time!

Ha! That reminds me of a trip we took to Biloxi, MS a few years ago. Late at night in the lobbies of some of the hotels that have casinos you'd see a load of kids and teenagers asleep on couches, chairs, etc. If they weren't asleep they had a look of utter disgust and boredom on their faces. All of them there just waiting for their parent to finally leave the casino.
I started calling them "Casino Orphans". I felt sorry for 'em.:neutral:

Your animated penguins look great. That last video is kind of creepy!
Great work!!
I'm pretty sure you can make your own "It's a Small World" scene with LOR. I don't have one, but I would think you could do that. All I have is the Mr. Christmas and the new Gemmy Light Show.

[putrid]

That's got to be a ruff way to grow up. Totally un cool.

Theedwin, I think your nickelodeon idea would work but it would take a lot of work to make it worth wile. To make it a bigger production for the viewer what about making it in a U shape where the viewer stands in the center and has action on three sides?

[theedwin]

JW- I was going to suggest turning the volume off for these beings the sounds and songs don't make alot of sense with Penguins....

The more I think about using a LOR for controling the on/off of the penguins, the more I like it. I may have to just jump in, and see what I can come up with!

Putrid, the nickelodeon (thanks for the word, couldn't think of it) would basically be a pallet for the base, and I would build a platform about 3 ft above that for the character to stand on. I would create a scene for it, so for example, if I used the Christmas Tree on Crack one, I would have snow drifts and some other trees. Make it look "real" I guess. It would also be protected by plexiglass or something similar so that people couldn't mess with it. I would start off with 1 and see how it works.

[theedwin]

Hi all!

Deb brought in the coin mechanism today! I was SO excited! Glad I had enough employees working today so that I got some time to tinker with it.

When she brought it in, I immediately went out to my truck and got a random crappy AAT. I made sure it worked by pushing the "push here" button, then I heard some whiney song about how this bear loves me so much and wants to...... well anyway.

I got out my "Work" exacto knife collection and started performing AAT surgery at the customer service desk. I pulled out the "push here" wiring and disconnected the "push here" button and wired it to the coin mechanism. At first it didn't work, so I moved the wires, then it WORKED!!! When it worked, I felt like a GENIUS! I even did my happy dance! LOL

Here is a little (3 minute) video of it and how it works. I don't like the bear, but it is what I had in my truck. This is only a test, and this bear WILL NOT be my proto type.

http://s443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/?action=view&current=VID00190.flv

Well wasn't that fun and informative?????? LOL Questions, commets, let me know!

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Very informative, Edwin!! (I couldn't actually hear everything you said--a bit of an echo in the bathroom). Anyway, I'm glad it's working for you. What is that song the bear is singing?
You should set it up like a slot machine--you put money in and sometimes it will play, other times not!! Take a chance!! 99.3% payback!!:)

[Just Whisper]

I'm trying to figure out how to get my entire haunt to run on one of those that takes $5. bills. LOL Great job edwin. You are a genius, indeed. Now the next video I want to see (Maybe) is one of you doing your happy dance.

[Sickie Ickie]

Very cool Edwin! Thanks for the vid demonstration.

About LOR- you really don't need something that powerful considering LOR is made for timing and dimming up and down lights to certain powers.

Check out a 16 channel parallex controller #38023 for around $20 right now on sale http://www.parallax.com/tabid/768/txtSearch/16+channel/List/0/SortField/4/Default.aspx

[theedwin]

Thanks Sickie! BUT,

How does that work? What controls it? A computer? Can I get it to work with music? (to quote Schultz, "I know NOTHING!") LOL

[Sickie Ickie]

This is a basic stamp program. Don't know a lot about it, but it would be better to do a little google research on it than spend another $100 more on something when you don't have to. I think it basically is just an on-off switch device that you can program.

[theedwin]

I will have to look into it. Thanks again!

I bought a "parrot" a long time ago for about $2. It is a "Fur Real" parrot (made by Hasbro). It is really neat, you can record your voice to it and have it say what you want it to say. (haven't tried much of that yet, but I will) It whistles and says things like "what are you doing?" "I love you" "I love me too" and other stuff. It whistles etc. The one I bought didn't have the remote control for it, but I found 2 more the other day at a thrift store, so I bought them. They were a bit more, but they both had the remote controls. I put all 3 of them together last night, and took a video. (yes that is me peeking in the mirror). There are endless possibilities for these birds! LOL One of them has a broken foot, so he fell over. If I can find a few more, I could have my own "Tiki" room! :D

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00192.jpg

I am sure these will make a great "Pirate" gag for Halloween.

[putrid]

Dude I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!!

[theedwin]

are you sure you aren't a surfer Putrid?

Nah, your just a Dead Head fan, aren't you? LOL

[putrid]

I think this flue's got me liking physical humor. I think it's affecting my brain. LOL It's not the falling over that was funny. It's the other two birds quick glance in that direction just after the fall that had me going. Dude, after being in a rock band for years I guess I can relate to the "the show must go on" attitude. And it seams through out the song they kept glancing in that direction. Kinda eying the third bird as he lay there singing away. It couldn't of been planned any funnier than that.

[Just Whisper]

OMG I am ROFLMAO hysterically. I agree, it couldn't have been funnier if it was planned. So awesome. Now the really funny thing is this...when I first read your post I thought you wrote "Yes, that's me PEEING in the mirror".

[Just Whisper]

Edwin,
Here is a dog I bought at a yard sale. He actually is really cool. Don't know what he use to do/be, but if I clap my hands and whistle he barks, pants, wags his tail and then comes to me. Now he does it in the nude. He will be corpsed out and used in my haunted playground. I will hardwire him for that.

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=49&pictureid=638

http://www.christmasfanclub.com/picture.php?albumid=49&pictureid=639

[theedwin]

That's really cute JW! I haven't seen one of those yet.

Did you have any problem getting the skin off of it? Sometimes that is the hard part!

I wouldn't take off any of the "clapping or whistling" activators for it, as it probably has to run off it's program. I would just hard wire the battery compartment. (I am guessing that is what you are planning)

This thread is about AAT's. Not MY AAT's, so please post away!

A few things that I have learned about AAT's. There are several different types.

One type is "Always" meaning it is "Always" doing the same thing. An example of this would be http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00146.jpg While this does pause during the song, it still does the same thing when turned on. If you were to hard wire the motor(s) of this one, it could be on all the time doing the same thing.

Another is "Program" meaning it runs a program. You can cut the wires to the speaker if you don't want sound, but don't cut the wires from the program or it won't work like you want. An example of this would be http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00122.jpg The reason that this one can't run continuously, is that the motor needs time to rest so that the mechanism can reset itself (the ears). Kind of like the Gemmy skull, or the Boris skull. The motor turns off and the spring brings the motor back to where it should be the next time the motor turns on. If the motor continuously runs, the ears would always be up (and the motor would burn out). Same with the jaw motor on a skull.

The third is "Interactive" which is what I am guessing JW's dog is. The interactive ones will definitely need to be run with the installed program and should not be hard wired to just a motor or 2. Hard wiring the battery compartment is the only way to go on these type of AAT's. An example of this is http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00157.jpg If this were to run continuously, it would just spin around non stop, which would not make for a good "show".

Sorry I just went on a tangent there, but I hope it was informative!

P.S. Glad you guys liked the Parrot show! LOL You can see that I was going to put the bird back up, but I knew it would fall over again so I decided not to. Oh, and I probably did have to pee! LOL

[Just Whisper]

That last puppy is so adorable edwin. Yes, my dog is interactive. There are pressure switches on his back and forehead for "petting" that he will also respond to if pressed. I am going to leave him as is since he is sound activated. That way he will move sometimes, and stay still at times. I will have to experiment more later and see how it works. Thanks for the insightful info on AATs. I never thought about them that much, it was useful.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I loved the parrot show, Edwin! I wanted to find one of those parrots on close-out but never did. Are they called "Sqwaker's McCaw" or something like that?
I first played your video without sound and it looked like two drunks watching their friend pass out on the sidewalk! Hilarious!!
Why not name them Larry, Moe and Curly and record Three Stooges voices into them.
That would be a HOOT! (No pun intended.)

[theedwin]

Enlightened, yes that is Squakers! I see they are listed on the Hasbro website for about $134 if I remember correctly, so the $2 I paid for the first one and the $10 I spent for the other 2 isn't such a bad deal!!!!! :D I like the Larry Moe and Curly idea, I will give it some thought! The possibilities are endless.

So far I am naming them "General 1" (the broken foot one) "General 2" (the one on the right) and "General 3" (the middle one) in honor of all the cars that were smashed on the Dukes of Hazzard! LOL

[theedwin]

I just found this on You tube, let's see if it works.

Man I wish I could find one of these!!! LOL

YouTube - Gator with Deer on Hood and 2 Hunters Take 2

[EnlightenedGrinch]

That thing is neat! It's like a mini "Buck -the talking Deer". Strange choice of songs, though. "Low-Rider"??
It must be a dangerous toy since the guy is touching it with a 10 foot pole! :)

[theedwin]

Work has been so boring that I decided to take some of the "Hamsters" that I have (the singing and dancing ones..) and wire them together and dress them up as the "G-Force Ginnie Pigs!" I left the "programs" alone and the battery compartments, so they will still run on batteries. I clipped the speaker wires on the 4 of them and hooked up the "push here" buttons to one cord. (I learned that they have to be wired a special way to the "push here" button). I took a pic of them in their Pipe Cleaner and Duct Tape costumes. You can see the wires coming from them in the bottom of the pic.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/stuff/G-Force.jpg

I am going to take a "Try Me" button from one of the Gemmy Skulls I bought last year and put it outside of the display so that kids can play with them. I had alot of adults very interested in what I was doing!! :D

[putrid]

Great interrogation sean Theedwin. So where is the car battery? JK LOL Hope to see them in action soon.

[theedwin]

Thanks P,

I put them in the display today, with the "try me" button hooked up outside of the display case. (they are behind glass, and locked). No one seems to be able to find the "try me" button, but then again, who would be used to something like that at a theatre? Anyway, here is a video!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00220.jpg

Alright, pretty cheesy I know, but it is a hell of a lot more than anyone else does!!! I had 3 offers today to buy them, so I take that as a GREAT compliment!! :D

I was at Toys R Us the other day and saw that they had pretty much the same thing, but of course with better costumes. (I had the idea before I saw them.....) It was more fun making it myself!

[putrid]

Great display dude! Totally cool reactions to it. Great to hear folks are getting a kick out of your work!

[chris]

awesome!!!!! The set up is great!!!!:)

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Wow! You are very creative with the movie promotions, Edwin! I'm sure you probably have some "regulars" who come just to see what you've done next.
If you put on the 3-D glasses will your display actually look three dimensional?? :chappy:

[theedwin]

Thanks guys!

I was having trouble with the second "guinea pig", so I re-wired him. He wouldn't turn on "sometimes". If you pushed the button a second time, he would turn on but the others would turn off. (I didn't know why he wouldn't turn on the first time you push the button as he was supposed to.) I have it set up so when you push the button, they should all come on, well today that was definitely not happening!! (GRRRR!!!) Some DARN GP's (guinea pigs) are making me look like a fool!

I closed tonight, so I had about an hour that I could spend working on them. I first took apart the "try me" button and cleaned it. Then I put all new batteries in all of the GP's. Now it works perfectly every time!!! (I think some of the batteries were getting weak is why it wasn't working 100%.) I guess I will change out the batteries more often. I won't wait for them to "die", I will just change them all out every other day. It is going to be alot of batteries, but what do you expect from Big Lots? LOL :D

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Watch out!! I think those batteries from Big Lots carry viruses!!

[theedwin]

It wouldn't surprise me EG!

A lady left her number for me to call her about buying them from me. Now, this is pretty much what I always wanted when I create my displays. I don't know what she would use them for, or why she wants them (you can buy already made toys at Target et.al.) I probably have a whole $8 invested in them (including the pipe cleaners..). I think I will call her and see if maybe she would like me to make something special just for her.

[Sickie Ickie]

If you can can get her to recommend you to some friends, you may have a nice upper class clientele of people wanting your aats, dude.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I always hear people commenting about Edwin's nice aats!! :chappy:

[theedwin]

That's kinda what I am thinking Sickie. Or hoping anyway.

LOL EG!

I have been packing up my unused AAT's to put in storage until I get a house, and I have about 8 large boxes of them ready to go. (too bad it is so darn hot here, the heat makes me not want to carry the boxes to my truck) I keep/kept most of them in the second bathroom on shelves that I have. After packing away 8 boxes of them (and I keep buying them) I feel like I haven't even made a dent! The shelves are still full! err, I should say overflowing!

I am pretty good at math, but I still can't figure it out. 6 shelves full, minus 8 large boxes, should equal empty, right? WRONG! I still have 6 shelves full!

Calgone, take me away!!!!

[putrid]

Now you know what those noises were. Them things are multiplying. LOL

[EnlightenedGrinch]

Yea, watch your back, Edwin!! They might be forming some A.I. and coming after you like mini "Terminators". :eek:

[theedwin]

STOP THE INSANITY!!!!! ( I haven't used that line yet have I?)

I made this thing last night. I bought this cute little duck, just because he was so darn cute. I also recently bought this weird looking red animal that was holding a balloon. The animal sang "Up, Up and Away, in my beautiful, my beautiful baLOOOOOOOOOON!) Very annoying, but I liked the neck movement. I took it all apart and removed the neck assembly from everything else and hard wired it to the motor. (I have been having trouble doing that because of the extra do dads/circuit thingys that they like to put on them for some reason...) I cut those off cause it would't work if I left them on. Worked nice, fit nice and gave me the result that I wanted. I sewed the cute little duck back up and here is what we have!

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq158/theedwin/toy%20animatronics/th_VID00237.jpg

The video is about a minute long, I just wanted to show that it will work continuously with a wall wart.

[Sickie Ickie]

Almost looks obscene! LOL

[theedwin]

Well, he ran for 9 hours today, and none of my employees seemed to think it was obscene... I think it's cute, but I also think obscene is cute! LOL ROFL! I will take that as a compliment.

[EnlightenedGrinch]

I think the duck is cute!
Maybe you could put a small hula hoop around his neck and let it spin around! :)
(I see you still have a lot of skeletons in the closet!)

[theedwin]

The skeletons are "Bert" and "Ernie" if you really must know EG, Didn't they come out of the "closet" years ago??? LOL ROFL!! :D

My boss hadn't seen the duck before, so I plugged it in before she came into work today. (hectic day!!!) She looked at the duck, she looked at me, she looked at the duck and shook her head and smiled. Not a word, but she didn't have to say anything... :D

Oh, and the GP's are still going strong!!